Key points
- We have partnered with the SKA Observatory (SKAO) in a new international art exhibition sharing Wajarri Yamaji stories about the night sky.
- Art is an important way of sharing culture for the Wajarri Yamaji People who are the Traditional Owners and Native Title Holders of Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, our Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory.
- Wajarri art is joined in the exhibition by artworks from Indigenous communities in South Africa, highlighting the connection between Wajarri Country and the South African Karoo region as hosts of the SKAO’s telescopes.
The international SKA Observatory (SKAO) is building two mega-science instruments on the lands of some of the oldest cultures on Earth. The SKA-Mid telescope is in the Karoo region of South Africa and the SKA-Low telescope is on Wajarri Yamaji Country, in the heart of Western Australia.
The SKAO, in partnership with CSIRO, the Wajarri Yamaji and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), has created a joint exhibition featuring art and stories from the cultures of each telescope site.
Wajarri artist Noeleen Hamlett painted one of the cover images from the exhibition featuring the Southern Cross and Emu in the Sky.
“Under our southern sky, the Southern Cross is our compass at night. The Emu in the Milky Way tells us when it’s emu egg season. The Seven Sisters teach vital skills and lessons of survival, changing seasons and talks of creation.”
“The Sisters became part of the landscape, water and springs as they fled from Yurlu. It also teaches us about the bond of family and relationships. The flower-shaped symbol and the emu footprints represent moving forward, coming together to reflect our vision to create a better future. The telescopes look beyond the black holes in our galaxy to challenge and enrich our understanding of the Universe.”
Oldest science meets oldest continuing cultures
SKA Observatory Director-General Prof. Phil Diamond said astronomy is often considered the world’s oldest science.
“The communities that live near the SKA telescopes have been observing the night sky and explaining what they see through art and stories for thousands of years,” he said.
“Cosmic Echoes is about embracing the locations where we are building the SKA telescopes and the fact these communities have been there observing and interpreting the skies for all that time.”
In Australia, that community is the Wajarri Yamaji, the Traditional Owners and Native Title Holders of Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, our Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory. The observatory site is home to the SKAO’s SKA-Low telescope.
Proud Wajarri woman and Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal Corporation Aboriginal Liaison Officer Jennylyn Hamlett was instrumental in the exhibition’s creation.
“Our Wajarri ancestors used the sky and the stars to navigate themselves through life,” she said.
Navigating by the stars is a theme seen in many of the Wajarri artworks in Cosmic Echoes, including The First Astronomers by mother-daughter collaboration Leean Kelly-Pedersen and Dawn Hamlett.
Wajarri mother and daughter artist team Leean Kelly-Pedersen and Dawn Hamlett created this large piece for Cosmic Echoes representing their ancestors’ travel across Country at night.
“Our ancestors travelled this land for many years in Australia, living off the land and following the seasons in search of food and water in their tribal family groups. All men carried out cultural ceremonies from their tribal grounds. They would attend meetings on a special ground where they would gather with other tribes.”
“Travelling across our Country was always at night. Our ancestors found a way to travel to their destination by studying the night sky and using the stars as a compass to guide their way, with the full Moon for light. This painting represents our ancestors’ travel method, including the Milky Way which was also important to them. It guided the way and they also followed the movement of the emu, which can be seen in the Milky Way, to know when it was the egg-laying season. The Nyarluwarri (Seven Sisters, Pleiades) can be seen on the right. The Morning Star can be seen at the bottom, to the left is the Southern Cross and the large circle at the top is the full Moon with the Evening Star next to it. The pink dots represent the wildflower seasons and also the aurora in the sky. The Southern Cross, Morning and Evening stars are the main features used as a compass.”
World-class radio telescopes on Wajarri Country
In Australia, the SKAO is partnering with us to build and operate the SKA-Low telescope at our WA observatory, with construction expected to finish towards 2030. Already operating on the site for more than a decade are two world-class radio telescopes: our ASKAP radio telescope and the Curtin University-led Murchison Widefield Array (MWA).
Both instruments are called SKA precursors as they have helped develop technology and infrastructure for the SKA telescopes. Now a well-established part of the landscape, both ASKAP and the MWA can be seen represented in many pieces of Wajarri art, including in Gail Rose Simpson’s Look Out.
Can you spot the white ASKAP antennas standing tall with the spider-like MWA antennas to their right?
“Planets and moons with connecting lines making them one. Far away mystery places something calls home. We see the Emu in the Sky when it is egg-laying season. There are different layers that we think we can see when looking out to space. Telescopes on Wajarri land. The phases of the eclipse and falling stars.”
Wajarri artist Gail Rose Simpson travelled to South Africa earlier this year for the Cosmic Echoes opening, connecting with many of the South African artists who also contributed works.
"It’s great to be included with each and every one of these Wajarri and South African artists featured in the exhibition. It’s an honour to be a part, it’s unreal,” she said.
Her work Look Out shares a colourful view of Country, both land and sky, connecting Wajarri astronomy knowledge with the telescopes exploring the Universe from Wajarri Country.
Cosmic echoes between South Africa and Australia
A common theme across some Wajarri and South African artworks in Cosmic Echoes is the Pleiades star cluster. Called Nyarluwarri in Wajarri, the cluster is often referred to as the Seven Sisters across many cultures, including in South Africa and Australia.
Wajarri artist Vanessa Kelly’s colourful rendition of the Seven Sisters is a highlight of the exhibition.
“Seven sisters formed themselves into dust from Earth to hide as stars in the sky”
Wajarri artist Susan Merry grew up on Wajarri Country right near where the telescopes now reside. The Seven Sisters are a common inclusion in her artworks.
“Seven sisters shining bright in the dark sky. The six around the outside are always protecting the one in the middle from the hunter who wants to kill it because it is sick.”
Sharing culture across the globe
Cosmic Echoes has recently finished its inaugural exhibition in South Africa and will now travel to other SKAO member countries around the world.
Its first stop is planned for Australia in 2025, bringing the full joint exhibition here under Australian skies for the first time.
The Emu in the Sky in the Milky Way can be seen across the Southern Hemisphere. The name and story is common to many Aboriginal cultures across Australia.
“The Emu in the Sky can be seen in the Milky Way on a clear night. You will see it in the dark parts of the Milky Way. Aboriginal people use the feature to tell us when it is time to hunt. When the Emu looks low it is the time to go egg hunting. The emu egg cake is a favourite.”
We acknowledge the Wajarri Yamaji as Traditional Owners and Native Title Holders of Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, our Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory site.
Cosmic Echoes is an SKAO initiative in partnership with SARAO, CSIRO and the Wajarri Yamaji Aboriginal Corporation. The exhibition was curated by Sylvia Vollenhoven and Lukretia Booysen in South Africa and Chris Malcolm in Australia. All artwork featured in Cosmic Echoes remains copyright to the individual artist and cannot be reproduced without permission. The full exhibition catalogue is available online.